Mark Your Calendars: It’s Time for the Spring FMT

The Frequency Measuring Test (FMT) continues its successful “round-table” format when it takes to the airwaves on the evening of April 19 (April 20 UTC). The test moves to Thursday from the November FMT’s usual Wednesday evening, giving everyone an opportunity to participate. Recognizing the higher solar flux, the FMT will lead off with a 20 meter segment -- one transmission beaming east, and the other west from Connie Marshall, K5CM, in Oklahoma -- with both transmissions on the same frequency. The sponsors are particularly interested in your comments on frequency differences observed between the directions due to propagation-related effects.

The test will begin on 20 meters near 14.055 MHz at 10 PM EDT on April 19 (0200 Friday, April 20 UTC). There will be four stations in the 40 meter roundtable near 7.055 MHz beginning at 10:30 PM: K5CM in Oklahoma, the Midwest VHF/UHF Society, W8KSE, in Ohio and Charles Collins, W6OQI, and Mike Fahmie, WA6ZTY, in California. The test will then move to 80 meters near 3.569 MHz beginning at 11 PM EDT (0300 Friday, April 20 UTC). The 80 meter stations will be K5CM, W8KSE and W6OQI.

Your job is to measure and report the frequencies of all the stations. The stations will be close to the same frequency, but not exactly on the same frequency. For the 40 and 80 meter transmissions, do not assume that all stations will be within the pass band of a CW filter. Be prepared to tune if necessary!

20 Meter Time Line (near 14.055 MHz) -- Beaming East

Time (EDT)

Time (UTC)

Station

Action

Duration

Thursday 10:00 PM

Friday 0200

K5CM

call up

3 minutes

Thursday 10:03 PM

Friday 0203

K5CM

key down

2 minutes

20 Meter Time Line (near 14.055 MHz) -- Beaming West

Time (EDT)

Time (UTC)

Station

Action

Duration

Thursday 10:05 PM

Friday 0205

K5CM

call up

3 minutes

Thursday 10:08 PM

Friday 0208

K5CM

key down

2 minutes

40 Meter Time Line (near 7.055 MHz)

Time (EDT)

Time (UTC)

Station

Action

Duration

Thursday 10:30 PM

Friday 0230

K5CM

call up

3 minutes

Thursday 10:33 PM

Friday 0233

K5CM

key down

2 minutes

Thursday 10:35 PM

Friday 0235

K5CM

turn over to W8SKE

1 minute

Thursday 10:36 PM

Friday 0236

W8KSE

call up

2 minutes

Thursday 10:38 PM

Friday 0238

W8KSE

key down

2 minutes

Thursday 10:40 PM

Friday 0240

W8KSE

turn over to W6OQI

1 minute

Thursday 10:41 PM

Friday 0241

W6OQI

call up

2 minutes

Thursday 10:43 PM

Friday 0243

W6OQI

key down

2 minutes

Thursday 10:45 PM

Friday 0245

W6OQI

turn over to WA6ZTY

1 minute

Thursday 10:46 PM

Friday 0246

WA6ZTY

call up

2 minutes

Thursday 10:48 PM

Friday 0248

WA6ZTY

key down

2 minutes

Thursday 10:50 PM

Friday 0250

WA6ZTY

end 40 meters, move to 80 meters

80 Meter Time Line (near 3.575 MHz)

Time (EDT)

Time (UTC)

Station

Action

Duration

Thursday 11:00 PM

Friday 0300

K5CM

call up

3 minutes

Thursday 11:03 PM

Friday 0303

K5CM

key down

2 minutes

Thursday 11:05 PM

Friday 0305

K5CM

turn over to W8SKE

1 minute

Thursday 11:06 PM

Friday 0306

W8KSE

call up

2 minutes

Thursday 11:08 PM

Friday 0308

W8KSE

key down

2 minutes

Thursday 11:10 PM

Friday 0310

W8KSE

turn over to W6OQI

1 minute

Thursday 11:11 PM

Friday 0311

W6OQI

call up

2 minutes

Thursday 11:13 PM

Friday 0313

W6OQI

key down

2 minutes

Thursday 11:15 PM

Friday 0315

W6OQI

FMT end

If you have not participated in an FMT before, it doesn’t take a room full of test equipment to have fun and make surprisingly accurate measurements. You can read all of the QST articles about the exercises on the ARRL’s FMT web page. More information on frequency measuring techniques and exercises can be found on K5CM’s website. Results of the Spring FMT will be reported using the data entry website, provided by Bruce Horn, WA7BNM.